Jasmine finished eating and went a ways away from the food court eventually sitting down on the edge of one of the coin pools. Thinking ahead, she carefully drew her tail around in front of her so it wouldn't get wet, then sat there. She was feeling very moody right now, and definitely didn't want to spend time around the mother who thought she should be happy to be a girl or the friends who thought that it really wasn't so bad. She loved them all dearly, but she just couldn't stand the way her mother tried to pretty her up, or the way Tabitha just quietly accepted this whole mess, or the way Klondike took to girlhood like a fish to water despite having been every bit as male in mindset as she was...she just needed to be alone, since there was noone she could talk to about this.
"Hey, Jef-er, Jasmine!" a voice called. She looked up. It was Ryan, a friend from school. "I heard about what happened," he said in a quieter voice, as he walked up. "That must be pretty weird, I expect."
"How did you find out?" Jasmine asked.
"The school called all the students' families last night," he said. "They said that you, Timmy, and Derek had been turned into girls with cat features, and that your new name was Jasmine, Timmy's was Tabitha, and Derek's was Klondike. Did you pick the names? And if you don't mind my asking, how did it happen?"
Jasmine sighed. "No, we didn't. And as near as we can figure out it happened because Tabitha pissed off a djinni, and she changed our identities and made our parents accept us and now Tabitha doesn't mind and Klondike enjoys it and my mom wants me to be happy about it and oh god i'm going to cry..." Her voice trailed off as she fought to keep the tears back.
Ryan sat down next to her. "Don't fight it," he said. "If you keep everything bottled inside you like that you're going to really hurt yourself. Even guys cry, sometimes. You just need to let it out."
Everything came out at once. Jasmine began to cry loudly. It was so horrible...she didn't want to be a girl, didn't want to wear girls' clothes or put on makeup or have periods or anything like that, but everyone around her thought it wasn't so bad or even thought she should be glad about it...everyone except Ryan, that is, who had place a comforting arm around her. She buried her head in his shoulder. She didn't care what it looked like, it felt so good to let it all out after keeping it all inside. And it was so good that he was there for her to unburden on...he smelled nice, he really did. Oh no, she thought, did I just think that? But...he does smell nice... She couldn't help it; she found herself getting turned on, ever so slightly. That set off a fresh round of sobs.
Ryan sat there, arm around Jasmine, who was crying on his shoulder. Wow, he thought, this must really be tough on her. Good thing I happened along. She...she really makes a pretty girl...holy cow, did I just think that? He looked her over; she really was pretty, now that her anger had given way to sorrow. He wished he could see what she looked like when she was happy. But she'd have to get over this first. Well, he thought, if I can help her in any way, I will. He felt her bury her head deeper in his shoulder. Especially if it's something like this, he thought.
Gradually, Jasmine's sobs subsided, until she was just buried in his shoulder, gently quaking. He pulled her back to a sitting position. "Listen," he said. "I know you've heard the 'it could be worse' argument, and it sounds like you've even heard the 'it couldn't be better' argument." She nodded."I'm not going to say you should be happy about this," he continued, "but it really could be worse. I mean, you got stung by a genie; that really could've turned out bad. I'm sure this really is hard for you, but you need to realize that it's not the end of the world. There's lots of options. For one, if genies exist then there must be magic. So you could look for something that could change you back. Even if you don't find a way to change back, being a girl can't be that bad. Just because you're a girl doesn't mean you're obligated to act feminine. Lots of girls are tomboys to one degree or another. It doesn't mean you have to start liking guys, either," he said, with a tinge of regret in his voice. "Heck, you might even find out that you're a lesbian."
Jasmine considered that; she thought about doing things with another girl, but even the idea of just making out with one repulsed her. "I don't know what I am," she fudged, remembering how she'd just felt when she was crying on his shoulder, "but I'm not a lesbian."
Ryan was happy to hear that, but tried not to look like it. "Well, whatever you are," he said, "just being a girl doesn't mean you have to embrace everything girls usually do. You can still be you and most people will be accepting of it. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't think that all is lost. Just keep being you."
Jasmine nodded. They both sat there for a long time. Jasmine wondered what exactly "being you" constituted in her case. She really felt that she didn't want to dress and act feminine, that was for sure. Andshe'd thought that she wanted to back to being male as soon as possible, but now there was another factor to consider: try as she might, she couldn't deny that she was attracted to Ryan, and from what she could smell on him and a few other cues she'd picked up, it seemed like he might be attracted to her as well. It had started with the physical attraction she'd felt when she was in close contact with him, but she had always liked him as a friend, and now that seemed to be growing into something more. He was a nice guy, after all, and he'd just allowed her to sit there and unload all her troubles on him without expecting anything in return...and the advice he'd offered really had been good; she knew that it had been a mistake to keep all her feelings bottled up in a time of such stress, and he'd encouraged her to let them out. And he was right; just being a girl didn't mean she had to act like one, but she'd forgotten that thanks to her mother. She knew her mom wasn't intending it, but she'd been smothering Jasmine with her obvious joy in the prospect of having a daughter. Jasmine knew her mother loved her, and thought that maybe if she explained things her mother would understand. She was grateful for Ryan's patience and advice; whatever came of this, she was grateful to have a friend like him.